Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said that it was “evident” that the rest of the world has started looking at Bangladesh “in a new light”.
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Fellowship will yet again enhance opportunities with Germany and other European countries for academic studies and exchange focusing on Bangladesh and South Asia, he said.
“There is likely to be growing academic interest in our nation’s history, culture and politics to understand the dynamics these phenomena bring into play across the wider region and beyond,” the foreign minister said while announcing the fellowship at the Heidelberg University.
The Bangladesh Chair titled ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Professorial Fellowship’ was set up at the South Asia Institute under the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies at the Heidelberg University in Germany.
Prof Dr. Harun-or-Rashid of Political Science, University of Dhaka and former Vice-Chancellor of National University, has been selected as the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Professorial Fellow through a collaborative selection process by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and Heidelberg University.
The foreign minister made the announcement through a virtual event.
Prof Kazi Shahidullah, Chairman, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, and Peter Fahrenholtz, Ambassador of Germany to Bangladesh, were also present.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her first tenure between 1996 and 2001 concluded a MoU with the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University for establishing the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Professorial Fellowship.
Accordingly, two Professorial Fellows selected from Bangladesh attended the programme in the years 2000 and 2001.
The succeeding BNP-Jamaat government terminated the Fellowship in 2002, thus foreclosing the possibility of knowledge transfer and exchange that could only be beneficial for Bangladesh.
With Prime Minister’s approval, the foreign minister said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated the process of reviving the Fellowship in the second half of 2019, on the eve of ‘Mujib Barsha’ - birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“We appreciate the immediate positive response we received from the Heidelberg University authorities, which led to concluding a fresh MOU with them on 11 December 2019,” he said.
Subsequently, there were applications for the Fellowship from 19 candidates, out of which the Selection Committee of Heidelberg University made a shortlist of three.
As per the agreed responsibility-sharing arrangement, the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh then made a final selection from the shortlist.
“We expect Professor Rashid to render his services under the Fellowship for a six-month period this year, subject to the COVID-19 pandemic situation,” said the foreign minister.
This Professorial Fellowship is yet another tribute on behalf of our people to the enduring vision and work of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - an iconic statesman, a true game-changer in South Asian politics, he said.
